Portable incinerator



Dec. 1, 1964 R. M. SHERMAN 3,159,120

- PORTABLE INCINERATOR Filed April 2, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. RALLSTON M. SHERMAN am, mm JMM ATTORNEYS Dec. 1, 1964 R. M. SHERMAN PORTABLE INCINERATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 2, 1962 FIG.4

INVENTOR. RALLSTON M. SHERMAN ATTORNEYS Dec. 1, 1964 R. M. SHERMAN PORTABLE INCINEIRATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 2, 1962 INVENTOR.

RALLSTON M. SHERMAN FIGS BY v n-07K I i-W ATTORNEYS United States Patent arsam PomrAnLE INCINERATGR Railston M. Sherman, Glastonbury, Conn, assignor to The Silent Glow Gil Burner Corporation, Hartford, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Apr. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 184,064 3 Qiaims. (Cl. 11018) My present invention concerns apparatus for burning trash, rubbish and other'combustible material for disposing of the same. More particularly it aims to provide a relatively compact and light-weight yet rugged structure inexpensively manufacturable of sheet metal and adapted to be knocked down for packaging and shipment.

Among other objects and advantages are the provision of a readily portable incinerator constructed and opera tively arranged to consume under an hydroxylative burning action the material charged thereto, with a minimum production of smoke or objectionable odors.

In various respects the present invention afiords an improved means and apparatus utilizing operative principles as disclosed in my Patent 2,952,226 of September 23, 1960.

The above and other objects of the invention will be best understood from the following description when read in the light of the accompanying drawings of a specific embodiment of the invention selected for illustrative purposes, While the scope of the invention will be more par- FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an incinerator according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of such incinerator;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same;

FIG. 4- is a central vertical section as on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1 and upon a larger scale;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on thetline 55 of FlG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a similar horizontal section on the line 66 of FIG. 4.

As illustrated in the drawings the incinerator comprises a vertical tubular structure comprising an erect main casing 1. While this may be variously shaped including the cylindrical for convenient fabrication and packaging, it is flatsided, being shown as quadrilateral and of general truncate pyramidal form somewhat smaller at the top than at the base. The slightly inclined generally vertical side walls 2, 3, 4 and 5 comprise similar sheet metal members as for example of aluminized mild steel of 20 gauge or thereabouts. These are adapted to be erected into the four-sided chamber-defining structure illustrated, as by disposing the vertical side edges of the respective side walls 2 to 4 in angular abutting relation presenting four upright corner portions. These main wallmembers are fastened in the erected position, each having for this purpose along one vertical side edge a flange as-at 2', 3', 4', 5' adapted to overlap the non-flanged edge of the adjoined wall. The lapped edge and flange portions are secured preferably detachably as by screw bolts 6.

This main chamber-forming casing 1 is open at-the bottom and is provided with supporting legs shown; as g angle bars 7 detachably secured as by screw bolts 8 at the respective lower corners of the casing and extending below the bottom thereof'so as to support it in vertically spaced relation above the horizontal surface upon which the incinerator is to be placed for use. For additional rigidity the wall members 2 to 5 may be provided with a number of generally vertical laterally spaced corrugate ribs at 9, 9, etc.

3,159,120 Patented Dec. 1, 1964 lar box-like lower charge-receiving and combustion chamber element designated generally at 10 likewise constructed of sheet metal, including an imperforate horizontal bottom wall 11 carried at the lower horizontal edges of opposed pairs of vertical walls 12, and being open at the top. The horizontal upper margins of said inner lower chamber vertical walls 12 are integrally or otherwise formed with laterally outturned flanges 13 along the major portions of the respective walls but terminating short of the ends thereof so as to provide corner openings as seen at 14, 14, etc., FIGS. 3 and 6.

While in some instances the flanges 13 of the lower chamber 1b and the adjacent wall portions of the casing 1 may be provided with means for interconnecting them, with the chamber 15) suspended by the casing if desired with its closed bottom out of contact with the incinerator supporting surface, it is found preferable that this chargereceiving and ash-collecting chamber 10 stand independently on the supporting surface where it is held by and relative to the main casing 1 set down enclosingly about it. The edges of the inner chamber flanges 13 are shaped and proportioned for snugly fitting against the inner faces of the casing walls, leaving vertical air-flow directing and controlling passages 14, 14, etc. solely at the four open corner areas previously mentioned.

At a level spaced above the bottom wall 11 the chamber 10 is provided with a charge-supporting grate 15 of any preferred heat-resistant foraminous construction such as expanded metal or the like. It is removably supported in horizontal position upon angle brackets 16, FIGS. 4 and 6, fixed on and projecting inwardly from the respective sides of the chamber 10. The space in the chamber 10 below the grate 15 provides an ash collecting pit. The vertical walls of the latter desirably are provided with one or more horizontal rows of relatively small air admitting apertures 17, 17. The charge-receiving space above the grate 15 is formed with air inlets in the side walls comprising one or more horizontal rows of relatively larger air-admitting and flow-controlling apertures 18, 18.

Similarly as in my said Patent 2,952,226 the incinerator of the present invention is constructed and arranged to take advantage of hydroxylative combustion as distin-' guished from ordinary carbonic combustion. The incinator accordingly is so devised that among other things it will predominantly burn the charge in a manner to distill from it combustible gases having dominant quantities of hydro-carbon molecules and whereby such largely hydrocarbon gases produced under a relatively low temperature and slow burning are attended with a purplish flame as characteristic of hydroxylative combustion.

Such action is obtained with the incinerator of the present invention by so heating the charge as to distill a large volume of combustible gases from it and by causing those gases to burn as they flow away from the charge through a combustion zone in which the hydrocarbon molecules of the gases progressively absorb oxygen as they so flow. Such absorption of oxygen results in the progressive formation, along the path of flow, of hydroxyl (OH) groups, the intermediate products of the absorption being alcohols and aldehydes. These alcohols and aldehydes'then under the influence of heat and temperature burn to carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and finally to carbon dioxide and water vapor. The purplish flame results from the formation ofthe aldehydes and then thebprriing of them. This purpiishflame combustion takes place at a-much lower temperature and more slowly than would be the case were the gases burned by socalled carbonic combustion, which latter would heat )7 the combustible gases to such highternperature as would crack the hydrocarbon molecules to liberatessmoke-forming carbon particlestheref'rom, all of which particles brackets 41,

would not be consumed by the burning, the yellow flame which characterizes carbonic combustion resulting from the heating of such carbon particles to incandescence.

Accordingly the incinerator of the invention includes a further chamber-defining top element or head section designated generally at 2%), presenting further confined space and combustion chamber volume for the incinerator as a whole. Such head element 29 as illustrated is adapted for removable positioning at and upon the upper rim of the described casing 1.

Such head 20 comprises a main supporting plate 21 shaped and dimensioned for supportive reception upon the upper edges of the walls 2 to of the casing 1. This herein substantially square plate 21 has continuously about its periphery a downturned positioning flange 22. Centrally it is formed with a large herein circular aperture' 23, FIG. 5, for reception of the lower portion of a secondary combustion chamber element 30 shown of vertical cylindrical shape conformant to and having snug fitting reception in the central aperture 23 of the supporting plate 21. 1

Depending from the underface of the plate 21 and within the surrounding upper portion of the walls of the casing 1 is a ring bracket 24 having an outturned horizontal flange 2.5 at the upper end which is weldingly or otherwise secured to the plate 21 and having at the lower end an oppositely intu-rned'flange 26;. The latter flange provides a receiving seat for a bottom plate 31 constitutinga gas-flow controlling partition and passagebetween the primary combustion chamber of the casing l and the confined combustion space with chamber 343 for the burning thereinof jet-fiowing ignited streams of gases produced in and flowing upwardly from the casing I.

To give passage for and to control such gas flow the- .plate 31 is provided with a group of horizontally spaced rather large perforations 33, FIG. 4 and particularly FIG. 5, communicating with the space in the casing l which receives the charge and together providing a passage therefrom into the chamber 30. Each such perform tion 33 is adapted for discharging inthe form of a jetlike strearn cornbustible gaseous products generated in such casing space in the manner as elsewhere herein referred to. In the illustrated example the gas-flowcontrolling plate 31 is circular and dimensioned for supported reception, preferably removably, upon the described inturned flange 26 of the dependent ring bracket 24 of the plate 231. The lower edge of the drum-like upper chamber element 30 may rest freely upon the upper face of the apertured plate '31, substantially as seen in FIG. 4. At the upper end said cylindrical chamber element 30 is closed by a top cover plate 35 integrally or otherwise secured to the cylindrical wall of said cylinder 30'.

Surrounding and laterally spaced from the chamber element 30, to be further described, is an outer cylindrical stack-like element 40. This outer element .49 as well as I the other main elements of the head section 26 may be of sheet-metal similar to that of the casing 1. It comprises a vertically disposed annular wall of a height to extend from approximately mid+heightof the chamber 30 upwardlyto a level somewhat above the latter. It is supported on the main plate 21 previously mentioned,

, in' vertically spaced relation to it, as by a series of leg four of which are seen in FIG. 5 spaced 90 apart. 'The upper ends of such spacer and supporting legs 41 are'weldedlor otherwise secured to the lower .edge of the stack ring 40, the lower ends beingan gularly turned and welded I or otherwise fixed upon the upper face of the adjacent marginal portion ofthe plateuzl as at 42. Foradditional rigidity this chamber-surrounding closely spaced perforations 36. These perforations act to admit under normal conditions streams of additional combustion air into the passage defined by said'lower inner portion of the chamber element St) and into which the combustible gases are discharged from the casing 1 via the apertures 33 of the partitioning plate 31. Such air is made available from the exterior of the incinerator through a series of air-admitting apertures 29 disposed in one or more horizontal rows at the upper portions ofthe walls 2 to 5 of the casing 1 and generally opposite the series of lowerv apertures 36 of the chamber 39; see FIGS. 1 and 4.

Above said lower jet-flow air-admitting apertures 36 the chamber 30 is formed with a further multitudinous series of closely spaced apertures 33 by means of which the gaseous products as further-burned hydro-xylatively in the chamber 30 are discharged into the annular passage surrounding said chamber, between it and the stack-like ring 40. For like purpose the top plate 35 of the chamber 36 may have one or more generally central apertures such as 39, FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 4 the outer flow guiding and controlling cylindrical wall member 40 may be provided with a damper-like vertically adjustable skirt portion received within the lower portion of said member 4%. It is slidably guided by the leg brackets 41, 41 for vertical adjustive positioning. By moving this skirt portion downwardly, by lateral projections provided for the purpose, the zonal space around the lower portion of chamber 30 v and below the outer cylindrical member it may be closed partially or completely, for regulating the flow to and "from chamber 30 as circumstances such as high winds may make desirable.

In the operation of the incinerator-the entire head section 20 is lifted off from the casing l, opposed hand i portion of said chamber 30 by means of the external row and pass-age-forming"ring"v elementdtl may be formedwith one or more circumferentially extending'corrugate ribs.

fFor gas passage and admixing of air the lower portion of the chamber Shadjacent the main combustion grips 46 being provided for the purposeon the outer wall of the stack-like element 40; FIGS. 1 and 2. The waste material to be disposed of is charged into the lower chamber 10 above the grate 15 of the latter and thereafter into the chamber of thecasing 1. In such charging the material is formed and erected into a body having lower outer surfaces in the, lower combustion chamber it) and having upper outside surfaces within and .toward'the top of the main chamber portion of the casing l. Ignition may be accomplished as by twisting a piece of paper into a torch, lighting and dropping it into the upper portion of the casing l and thereupon replacing the head section 2t). Or if preferred the covering upper section 20 may be replaced after accomplishing the charging of the incinerator and the ignition may then be accomplished through the casing apertures 29 as by insertion of a lighted taper.

Combustion of the ignited charge is initiallymaintained by air admitted upwardly through the flow-restricting and controlling corner passages l4, 14, etc. of the casing. The amount of air so admitted is generally insufiicient to support complete combustion of the charge yet is suff cient to generate enough. heat to distill from it combustible hydro-carbon gases. These gases are then discharged from the main chamber of casing 1 through the passage aPUtlll'- '3S 3, 33, etc. which are distributed "over an area of the chamber opposite to the described ignition area. In so discharging via the directing apertures 33 into the passage provided by the lower portion of the upper chamber 39 the gases. flow in the form of divided and ignited streams or jets. Attendantly streams of additional combustion air enter said lower passage of apertures 29 in the casingwall andthence through the lower series of-apertures 36 into the chamber 30. Such admission of additional combustion air jets thus occur s in the space at the upper portion of the casinggchamber l and that between the ignition area and said gaseous dis charge area therefirom as defined bysaid .apertures33;

discharging to said passage constituted by the lower portions of chamber 39.

Thus while the ignited distilled gases are flowing in such space of the incinerator they are contacted transversely of the upward flow direction and progressively along their direction of flow by the described combustion air jets. This is accomplished in a manner whereby the burning gases are intimately mixed extensively and progressively with the additionally admitted air whereby the hydroxylative combustion of the gases is continued following the starting thereof at a relatively slow rate within the chambers of the casing 1 as above described. This is accomplished with a substantially complete absence of discharge of smoke from the stack-like top ring element 4%, smoke-forming carbonic combustion of the charge being reduced to a minimum. In general any smoke-forming particles from such small extent of carbonic combustion as may occur in the casing 1 are consumed in the course of the hydroxylative combustion of the gases in the lower passage portion of the chamber 3t) and in their escape therefrom via upper apertures 38, 3? of the upper portion of said chamber 30 and into the annular passage of the outer top element 4t), and to some extent at the escape aperture such as 39 in the top wall of the chamber 34).

Consequently in operation the incinerator is substantially free of smoke and objectionable odor, to such extent that the device may be utilized as a space heater for terraces, and like outdoor areas while in addition the fiat horizontal top wall of the upper chamber 30 is available as a hot plate or grill for outdoor cooking purposes.

Similarly as in my Patent 2,952,266 when combustion of the waste material content has so reduced the latter that not enough hot gases are discharged into the upper chamber 3% to maintain a draft therethrough, there may occur an automatic reversal of the draft with the casing 1 itself acting as a stack, air being supplied through the lower apertures 17. and 18 of the lower combustion chamber 1%, with the gaseous combustion products discharging at the upper casing apertures 29.

With the disclosed construction it is observed that all combustion air for the incinerator is admitted through perforations in the lateral walls of the casing and chamber-forming elements which entering air tends to cool the walls and to keep the flame out of contact with them,

which relatively low temperature operation promotes the durability of the incinerator and permits its fabrication of relatively inexpensive sheet mild steel.

Incinerators as illustrated and described may be constructed in dilferent sizes. Hightly satisfactory results have been obtained with apparatus as disclosed wherein the overall height of the main casing 1 including the supporting legs is 27 in., the casing walls being approximately 19 in. in width at the lower end and 12% in at the upper end. The head section 20 in such example has an overall height of /2 in. above the carrier plate 21 at the top of the casing 11, with an outer diameter for the upper chamber member 30 of 9 /2 in. The flow passages such as the gas discharge apertures 33 in the bottom wall 31 of the top chamber are in such instance of 1 in. diameter, with the apertures such as 36 and 38 of in. diameter, and the external air admission apertures 29 being A in.

diameter while the lowermost apertures in the ashpit of the lower chamber are somewhat smaller. It will be understood that these dimensions are noted merely by way of example and without limitation thereto.

My invention is not limited to the particular embodiment thereof illustrated and described herein, and I set forth its scope in my following claims.

I claim:

1. A portable knockdown incinerator comprising sheet metal wall means defining an erect casing presenting a primary combustion chamber having vertically upwardly and inwardly inclined side walls and being open at the top and bottom with feet depending from the side walls for supporting the casing in spaced relation above a positioning horizontal surface, said casing having disposed within the lower portion a lower inner chamber element with vertical side walls laterally spaced from the casing at their lower portions and a bottom Wall at a level below the casing, angle brackets on the inner side walls within the'lower portion of said inner chamber element for removably supporting a grate to receive thereon a charge of material to be burned, the side walls of said inner chamber element approaching the casing side walls at a mid-height region thereof and there having lateral outward flanges contacting the casing wall intermediate the vertical side edges of the walls of the latter and terminating short of said casing side edges there to form vertical flow passages at the corner junctions of adjoined casing side walls, and a burner head removably seated on the upper periphery of said casing, said head comprising a horizontal cover plate removably seated upon the upper edges of the casing side walls and having a large central aperture receiving a vertical drum-shaped second chamber element including a vertical circumferential wall and top and bottom walls and having multiple perforations for upward passage of burning gases and combustion products, said second chamber element having a lower passagedefining portion extending below said cover plate and into the casing and an upper chamber portion projecting above said plate, bracket means on the plate supporting said second chamber element, some of said perforations being in the bottom wall of said second chamber element and providing for the jet flow of ignited streams of combustion gases distilled from burning material in the casing, a horizontal series of apertures in the upper wall portions of the casing in lateral opposition to some of said perforations which are in the lower passage portion of the second chamber element and cooperating therewith for inward jet flow of additional combustion air for contacting the jet flowing ignited streams of such gases transversely of the flow direction thereof and progressively along their flow direction for continuing in said second chamber by hydroxylative combustion the burning of such gases, an annular element surrounding and laterally spaced from the upper portion of said second chamber element, means, on the cover plate holding said annular element in vertically spaced relation above the plate, and a horizontal multitudinous series of lateral apertures in the lateral wall of saidupper portion of the second chamber element for escape of gaseous combustion products into and through the annular space between said chamber element and said annular element.

2. An incinerator according to claim 1 further including other gas escape aperture means in the top wall of the second chamber element.

3. An incinerator according to claim 1 wherein the annular element is provided with circumferential skirtlike wall means vertically adjustably received Within and guided by said element so as to be housed upwardly therein for leaving open the vertical circumferential space between the cover plate and the lower end of said annular element of the burner head and being slidable vertically downward for damping off said space to any desired extent up to total closure thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,517,985 Davis Aug. 8, 1950 2,546,731 Dufli Mar. 27, 1951 2,952,226 Sherman Sept. 13, 1960 

1. A PORTABLE KNOCKDOWN INCINERATOR COMPRISING SHEET METAL WALL MEANS DEFINING AN ERECT CASING PRESENTING A PRIMARY COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING VERTICALLY UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY INCLINED SIDE WALLS AND BEING OPEN AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM WITH FEET DEPENDING FROM THE SIDE WALLS FOR SUPPORTING THE CASING IN SPACED RELATION ABOVE A POSITIONING HORIZONTAL SURFACE, SAID CASING HAVING DISPOSED WITHIN THE LOWER PORTION A LOWER INNER CHAMBER ELEMENT WITH VERTICAL SIDE WALLS LATERALLY SPACED FROM THE CASING AT THEIR LOWER PORTIONS AND A BOTTOM WALL AT A LEVEL BELOW THE CASING, ANGLE BRACKETS ON THE INNER SIDE WALLS WITHIN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID INNER SIDE WALLS WITHIN REMOVABLY SUPPORTING A GRATE TO RECEIVE THEREON A CHARGE OF MATERIAL TO BE BURNED, THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID INNER CHAMBER ELEMENT APPROACHING THE CASING SIDE WALLS AT A MID-HEIGHT REGION THEREOF AND THERE HAVING LATERAL OUTWARD FLANGES CONTACTING THE CASING WALL INTERMEDIATE THE VERTICAL SIDE EDGES OF THE WALLS OF THE LATTER AND TERMINATING SHORT OF SAID CASING SIDE EDGES THERE TO FORM VERTICAL FLOW PASSAGES AT THE CORNER JUNCTIONS OF ADJOINED CASING SIDE WALLS, AND A BURNER HEAD REMOVABLY SEATED ON THE UPPER PERIPHERY OF SAID CASING, SAID HEAD COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL COVER PLATE REMOVABLY SEATED UPON THE UPPER EDGES OF THE CASING SIDE WALLS AND HAVING A LARGE CENTRAL APERTURE RECEIVING A VERTICAL DRUM-SHAPED SECOND CHAMBER ELEMENT INCLUDING A VERTICAL CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL AND TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS AND HAVING MULTIPLE PERFORATIONS FOR UPWARD PASSAGE OF BURNING GASES AND COMBUSTION PRODUCTS, SAID SECOND CHAMBER ELEMENT HAVING A LOWER PASSAGEDEFINING PORTION EXTENDING BELOW SAID COVER PLATE AND INTO THE CASING AND AN UPPER CHAMBER PORTION PROJECTING ABOVE SAID PLATE, BRACKET MEANS ON THE PLATE SUPPORTING SAID SECOND CHAMBER ELEMENT, SOME OF SAID PERFORATIONS BEING IN THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID SECOND CHAMBER ELEMENT AND PROVIDING FOR THE JET FLOW OF IGNITED STREAMS OF COMBUSTION GASES DISTILLED FROM BURNING MATERIAL IN THE CASING A HORIZONTAL SERIES OF APERTURES IN THE UPPER WALL PORTIONS OF THE CASING IN LATERAL OPPOSITION TO SOME OF SAID PERFORATIONS WHICH ARE IN THE LOWER PASSAGE PORTION OF THE SECOND CHAMBER ELEMENT AND COOPERATING THEREWITH FOR INWARD JET FLOW OF ADDITIONAL COMBUSTION AIR FOR CONTACTING THE JET-FLOWING IGNITED STREAMS OF SUCH GASES TRANSVERSELY OF THE FLOW DIRECTION THEREOF AND PROGRESSIVELY ALONG THEIR FLOW DIRECTION FOR CONTINUING IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER BY HYDROXYLATIVE COMBUSTION THE BURNING OF SUCH GASES, AN ANNULAR ELEMENT SURROUNDING AND LATERALLY SPACED FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SECOND CHAMBER ELEMENT, MEANS ON THE COVER PLATE HOLDING SAID ANNULAR ELEMENT IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION ABOVE THE PLATE, AND A HORIZONTAL MULTITUDINOUS SERIES OF LATERAL APERTURES IN THE LATERAL WALL OF SAID UPPER PORTION OF THE SECOND CHAMBER ELEMENT FOR ESCAPE OF GASEOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS INTO AND THROUGH THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER ELEMENT AND SAID ANNULAR ELEMENT. 